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Vourla Mediterranean Grill & Cafe is a restaurant specializing in Turkish cuisine and various Mediterranean dishes, located in Naples, Florida. Established in 2019, the restaurant is owned and managed by Ekrem Ilhan, who combines his background as an engineer with restaurant operations to deliver authentic flavors to local diners. Vourla faced the challenge of maintaining profitability while competing in a crowded delivery marketplace.
Siciliano’s Pizzaria is a family-owned restaurant located in Ravenna, Ohio that’s been serving the community for over 42 years. What makes this establishment unique is its carry-out-only model, no delivery service and no dine-in options. Started by Tom Siciliano when he was just 23 years old, this family owner and operated pizzeria has maintained its charm while embracing technology to meet changing customer needs.
There’s one problem every restaurant owner is trying to solve: how to increase restaurant sales without spending money on expensive ads or giving up huge chunks of profits to third-party apps. It’s tempting to chase quick wins with deep discounts or paid promos, but those tactics usually eat into your margins as fast as they spike short-term numbers.
Knowing how to cost a dish is one of those “absolutely must-have” skill sets for restaurant owners. It’s like knowing how to make a schedule, do inventory, or cover a section of tables if a server calls out sick and you’re shorthanded. It’s just part of the job. A lot of operators still might not do it, though, either because they underestimated how important it really is, or they felt overwhelmed by the math it takes to get accurate numbers.
77% of diners go online to research a restaurant before deciding where to eat. And of that group, 68% said they were discouraged from going to a restaurant because they didn’t like what they saw. That’s a significant amount of lost business tied to something you can improve on your own, but the problem is that most operators have no idea where to begin fixing the issue.
An “About Us” page for a restaurant website is almost always written as an afterthought, or was created so long ago, it no longer reflects the restaurant’s personality or values. And operators who don’t have one at all are missing out on a huge opportunity to tell their restaurant’s story, connect with new customers, and distinguish themselves from other restaurants in their area.
When business slows down, its easy to blame the season, the weather, or people not going out like they used to, but sometimes all customers need is a good reminder or the right reason to show up again. The right promotion at the right time can reignite business, whether that means a packed dining room on a slow weekday or reconnecting with loyal customers who havent ordered in a while.
Bad restaurant reviews might hurt in the moment, but every one of them is an opportunity to set things right with a disgruntled customer, get insight on how to improve your operations, and turn a negative experience into a chance for growth by showing future customers you care about their dining experience. With 45% of consumers saying theyre more likely to visit a business that responds to negative reviews, knowing how to respond to a bad restaurant review is a skill every successful restaurant
Healthy Balance Meals has been serving nutritious, made-from-scratch dishes in downtown Sevierville, Tennessee, for over 13 years. Known for their health-conscious menu and convenient prepared meal options, the restaurant has built a loyal following of locals looking for food that fits into their busy lives. From frozen meals you can heat up at home to quick lunch options that dont compromise on nutrition or quality, Healthy Balance Meals fills a unique need in the community.
Caribbean Kitchen is a Bahamian catering company based in Hopkins, Minnesota, founded by Nicholas Hall in 2009. What started as a passion project while working in education eventually turned into a full-fledged business built on word-of-mouth, strong community ties, and a passion for bringing bold Caribbean flavors to the Midwest. Originally from Nassau, Bahamas, Nicholas started out cooking for friends and small events, catering on weekends simply because he enjoyed doing it.
When you decided to open a restaurant, you probably didnt picture yourself glued to spreadsheets or tracking the price of eggs, but keeping an eye on the numbers is how you stay open year after year. Those numbers, or KPIs , decide whether the lights stay on, the staff gets paid, and the dream stays alive. The truth is that the average restaurant profit margin is razor-thin, leaving almost no room for error.
You can have a crowd-pleasing menu, loyal regulars, and a packed dining roomand still watch your margins disappear. Why? Because not every dish thats popular is profitable. Too many restaurant menus are built on intuition and aesthetics, not real numbers. If youre making decisions based on gut instinct or what feels right, youre guaranteed to be leaving money on the table.
Understanding what customers order, when they order, and how often is an untapped goldmine of information for restaurant operators. Using that data can help you answer questions like: Are we pricing our bestsellers too low or overpricing items customers arent buying? Which customers are coming back again and again, and what keeps them loyal? What do repeat orders say about our customer preferences?
A great dining experience starts long before someone walks through your door. Nearly every customer journey begins with a search on Google, then a scroll through several restaurant websites before something catches their eye. If your site is clunky, hard to navigate, or missing basic features like a prominent online ordering button, your potential customer will bounce because diners have little to no tolerance for friction or confusion when theyre looking for food. 62% of diners have been discou
At its core, every decision a restaurant owner makes is influenced by two things: Wanting to give customers an exceptional dining experience through food, drinks, and service Controlling the costs that come with providing that experience Doing number one well means youre making great money because large groups of customers visit your restaurant daily.
When youre updating your online menu or online ordering system, its tempting to just copy over the dish names from your restaurant menu and call it a day. But a little extra effort can make a big difference. Well-written menu descriptions dont just tell guests whats in a dish; they entice customers, set the tone for your brand, and can increase sales.
Your customer email list is your most valuable marketing asset, giving you an incredible ROI of $42 for every $1 you spend. You own it, it costs very little to maintain, and its a direct link to your customers any time youd like to reach themno complicated algorithms or third-party platforms getting in the way. But just building an email list isnt enough.
Running a restaurant is one of the most rewardingyet riskyventures out there. Youre not just managing food and staff, youre battling slim profit margins, high operating expenses, and constantly changing customer preferences. And with the often-repeated stat that the restaurant failure rate is sky-high, its no wonder so many operators feel like theyre one bad month away from closing.
Branding isnt just for big-name chains with deep pockets and multi-million-dollar ad campaigns. Every restaurant concept should be intentional about their branding, from food trucks and cafes to brunch spots and fine dininggreat branding is how your restaurant stands out and stays memorable. But how to brand a restaurant isnt always clear. Its more than just designing a cool logo, picking a catchy name, and slapping it on everything.
Building a restaurant email marketing list might be the single most underrated move an operator can make to grow their business. With a restaurant email list, operators have a direct line of communication with guests that cant be blocked by third-party platforms that hide your customer data or social media algorithms that no one really understands. Instead of crossing your fingers and hoping your posts get seen, you can send email campaigns straight to the inbox of people who actually want to he
Running a restaurant without tracking your key metrics is like flying blind. Sure, instincts matter, but lets be honest, following your intuition is really just a guessing game, and eventually, a strong hunch will turn out to be a bad judgment. With razor-thin margins and hundreds of moving parts, guessing your way through important decisions wont cut it long termthats where you can leverage KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
Running a restaurant is equal parts passion and precisionespecially when it comes to running the numbers. One of operators most difficult challenges is balancing restaurant operating costs without compromising the food, service, and customer experience that makes your restaurant unique. Fortunately, though, cutting costs doesnt have to mean cutting corners, sacrificing the qualities of your restaurant that keep customers coming back again and again.
Tablets are everywhere in restaurants these days, and with good reason. Their sleek design and intuitive user interface make them a natural fit for a modern restaurants day-to-day operations. From managing reservations at the host stand or firing orders straight to the kitchen from table side, tablets are changing the way restaurants run. But heres the thing: just handing your employees a tablet and hoping for the best doesnt work.
The last time you tried a new restaurant, what steps did you take before you walked through their doors? Did you scroll through the online reviews first? Check the star rating? Maybe skim a few photos? Your guests are doing the same thingEvery. Single. Day. Online reviews have become one of the most influential factors in how consumers choose where to eat, especially for independent restaurants.
If your restaurant uses delivery apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, or Grubhub, you already know how overwhelming order volume can get when the rush hitsespecially when youre bouncing between tablets, updating menus in three places, and relying on staff to manually punch in each delivery order. That kind of setup isnt just inefficientit opens the door to expensive mistakes and slows down your team at the worst possible times.
When someone searches for your restaurant online, what do they see? A glowing collection of five-star reviews and hunger-inducing photos? Or a mixed bag of outdated info, unanswered complaints, and a few good reviews buried in the noise? Whether you like it or not, your restaurants online reputation is shaping first impressions long before a guest walks through your doors or even places an order.
For a long time, third-party delivery apps seemed like the easiest way to get your restaurant online and in front of new customers. And for many restaurants, they still serve a purpose. But more and more operators are realizing that relying too heavily on those platforms comes at a costliterally and figuratively. Instead of giving up control to outside platforms, some restaurants are shifting to a more direct approach: first-party ordering.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere right now. Its powering voice assistants, helping people write emails faster, and even suggesting what to watch or where to eat next. With rapid advances happening across various industries, including the food industry, you might be wondering: What does AI have to do with running my restaurant? The short answer?
If youre one of the thousands of restaurants that added online food delivery in recent years, you might be wondering: is it actually helping my business grow? The only way to know for sure is by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) that drive business growth. These metrics give you a clear picture of your delivery performancefrom order volume and customer retention to delivery speed and profitability.
Menu pricing isnt just about covering costsits about finding that sweet spot where profitability, customer perception, and operational reality meet. Set prices too low, and youre leaving money on the table. Too high, and youll drive customers away. Somewhere in between is the number that makes sense for your food costs, your market, and your restaurants unique position.
Every successful restaurant has one thing in common: they know exactly who they are serving. Understanding your target market is the foundation of making smart decisions for your menu, pricing, and overall guest experience. Without a well-defined target market, restaurants risk wasting resources on strategies that dont connect and menu offerings that dont selltrying to appeal to everyone, but standing out to no one.
Is your delivery operation disorganized? Do orders get lost in the shuffle between different platforms? Is your staff struggling to juggle multiple tablets, leading to slower service and mistakes? If managing food delivery feels more like a headache than a revenue stream, youre not alone. With 52% of consumers saying that ordering out is essential to their lifestyle, every restaurant that wants to stay competitive must offer delivery.
Every restaurant faces operational challengeseven with a great menu and a talented team, bottlenecks can slow service, frustrate customers, and cut into profits. A single missteplike a delayed order or a system glitchcan throw off an entire shift. Staff scramble, customers grow impatient, and suddenly, a busy night turns into chaos. Instead of focusing on growth, restaurant operators spend their time fixing problems that shouldnt exist in the first place.
Keeping menus updated across various online ordering systems and third-party delivery apps can feel like a never-ending game of catch-up. Manually updating menus across multiple online ordering channels is tedious, time-consuming, and prone to mistakes. Instead of constantly playing defence with menu updates, imagine a centralized system that allows you to make menu changes instantly across every delivery app and direct ordering platform.
Takeout now plays a bigger role in restaurant operations than ever before. With 52% of diners saying that ordering takeout is essential to their lifestyle, its no longer just an optionits an opportunity. But getting customers to order once isnt enough. Repeat business is what drives real growth, yet many restaurants struggle to keep takeout diners coming back.
Running a restaurant is a balancing act. Every day, youre juggling staff, food quality, inventory, customer service, purchasing, and moreall while trying to cultivate a dining experience that wows your customers enough to keep them coming back. Its tough, and cant be done passively. Without a strong system in place, even the best restaurants in the world will struggle with unhappy customers, high turnover rates, wasted inventory, and razor-thin profit margins.
If you want to increase order volume for your restaurant, focusing on online takeout and delivery is key. Since 2014, these channels have grown 300% faster than dine-inand the trend isnt slowing down. Operators who ignore this opportunity risk losing significant revenue to their competitors while missing out on the chance to build a stronger connection with their customers.
Managing delivery orders shouldnt feel like running an obstacle course, but for many restaurant operators, thats exactly what it is. Juggling multiple food delivery apps means switching between tablets, manually entering orders into the POS, and trying to keep track of ever-changing fees and commissions. Its a recipe for chaos, leading to mistakes, slower service, and shrinking profit margins.
When people are hungry, they turn to Google. Its the number one way customers discover new restaurants and if your business isnt showing up in the search results, youre losing diners to competitors who are. Local restaurant SEO is the best way to attract new customers, and its easier than you thinkyou dont need to be a technical expert to start seeing real results.
Restaurants collect a ton of customer data. Every online order, email sign up, and reward program interaction generates valuable insightsbut if that data just sits there, youre missing a major opportunity. Think about it: What if you could automatically send a special offer to a customer who hasnt ordered in a while? Or adjust your staffing schedule based on peak ordering times?
Many restaurant operators would love to integrate a loyalty program into their operations but often dont follow through because they worry its too expensive, too complicated, or wont deliver the results theyre hoping forbut when done correctly, the right program can boost repeat business without adding extra stress. A strong loyalty program isnt just about handing out discountsits about giving customers a reason to come back, increasing their lifetime value, and strengthening your brands relatio
Adding digital tools to your restaurants operations should make service easiernot more complicated. But if youve embraced third-party delivery apps, youve likely run into a major challenge: managing orders across multiple platforms is harder than it looks. Instead of streamlining operations, these platforms often add a new layer of chaos. Orders pour in from every direction, staff scramble to keep up, and what was supposed to help you generate more revenue ends up feeling like more trouble than
Online ordering has transformed the restaurant industry, turning what was once a convenience into an absolute necessity. In 2025, the US online food delivery market is expected to reach $424.9 billion in revenue. Customers expect to browse menus, place orders, and pay for their meals with just a few taps of their phones. Whether theyre grabbing takeout on the way home from work or scheduling a delivery for later that day, digital ordering has become the norm.
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